Tornado
by Princess007
Summary: For her, he's like a tornado. If you get too close, you get pulled in, and once you do, it'll be hard to escape. No matter what promises you make...
1. Chapter 1

**Here I am, back again with a new story, that I hope you like **

* * *

Chapter 1.1

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

― _William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet_

He watched her and he knew he had never seen something more beautiful. Her hair was black as the night and fell on her shoulders in soft curls. He couldn't see her face because of the golden mask she was wearing, but her eyes were something he would never forget. Those brown orbs shone like stars, they sparkled and reflected him like a mirror the moment she looked at him. Their eyes locked and the whole world stopped, just for second, relishing the moment of these two souls connecting.  
He made his way through the crowd and a subtle smile played on her lips. She didn't know him, but his dark hair, his muscular arms and brown eyes held something familiar.  
He reached her and she opened her mouth but he put a finger on her lips, hushing her gently.  
"Silence is a gift. Learn to value its essence." He whispered and she smiled. "May this Romeo take you somewhere we can be alone?" He was still whispering, keeping the sound of his voice from her, making it a mystery.  
She nodded softly and he led her outside. For an eternity they didn't say anything while they walked through the garden of the house owner. Suddenly she stopped and looked up to the clear sky. Stars were sparkling and the moon sent his soft light to the earth.  
"It's beautiful, don't you think?" She asked but still whispering, taking him up on his being cagey about his voice.  
"That depends on your definition of beautiful." He was standing close to her, they body's touching as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned in and glanced at her. She looked back at him, her lips parted and he closed the gap between them. When her lips met his in such an intoxicating way, he knew that he could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when he first kissed the girl of his dreams and knew that his love would last forever.  
Soft but pleading he ran his tongue over her bottom lip asking for permission. She let him in and their kiss deepened. His hand ran through her hair and she put her arms around his neck, both having the effect of pulling each other closer.  
Out of breath they pulled back, their foreheads touching. He caressed her face in an intimate way, she would have never let a stranger do it. But this was everything but strange, it was special, it was new. She would call it love at first sight if she believed in it.  
"What's your name?" She asked, and he smiled softly at her.  
"What's in a name? He shrugged and turned away. "That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet." He picked a red rose from the garden and gave it to her. She raised it to her face and took a deep breath, but her eyes never left his face.  
"So, what about you? Your name?" He chuckled and his arms sneaked around her waist.  
"Juliet, you can call me Juliet." She gave him a beautiful smile. Her hands laid on his chest and she could feel his heartbeat under her palms.  
"I wanna see you again." It was a simple and confident statement. He knew that tonight something special had happened, something he had never felt before and it was definitely something he wanted to feel again.  
She nodded and leaned closer to kiss him again, his hot breath on her lips. One arm was wrapped around her waist, the other grabbed her neck and pulled her face closer. Their lips were about to touch  
_BEEP  
BEEP  
BEEP  
_With a deep breath she pulled back and smiled a little sad.  
"Get it." She whispered.  
"You're sure?"  
"Yeah." She nodded and gave him a slight push on his chest.  
He kissed her on the forehead and held her tight. "I'll be right back."  
He turned his back on her and walked a few feet out of ear-shot.  
_"Hey Hotch, it's JJ. We have a new case. Can you come in as soon as possible?"  
_Damn it! He felt like punching a wall. "Alright." He muttered after he calmed down.  
_"Everything okay?" _JJ asked worried.  
"Yeah, I was just – doesn't matter. I'll try to be there in ten okay?"  
_"Good, see you then."  
_Slowly he went back to tell this woman, whoever she was, that he had to go.  
But she was gone.  
"Hello?" He called, turning and looking for her. "Juliet?" He somehow felt stupid for calling her a name he knew wasn't hers but he had no other option. Taking a deep breath he almost stepped on it. His gaze fell on the object lying on the ground.  
The rose.  
Quietly he bent down and picked it up. A small white note was attached it.  
_I left my heart with you, take care of it._

"Oh! She doth teach the torches to burn bright  
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night  
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear;  
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.

― _William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet_

* * *

_Chapter 1.2_

BAU, five days later:

"I'll always think he'll ask me out but he doesn't!" JJ threw her hands up in defeat.  
"JJ, you're a strong, confident, good-looking woman. Why don't you ask him out?" Emily tried to give her best friend an advice. JJ had told Emily and Garcia a few months ago about her crush for a very sexy, muscular unit chief, who just happened to work in the same team as her.  
Aaron Hotchner.  
Right now they were sitting in Garcia's lair, each one with their coffee in their hand and discussing their love life's. Or rather their wannabe love life's.  
"Yeah. I think Emily's right. Why should he say no?" Penelope agreed with Emilys earlier statement while tipping on on her computer and checking her Facebook account.  
"You think?" JJ questioned, still a little uncertain. Aaron Hotchner was a big goal, but he was the perfect man. He was sweet, caring, handsome, and definitely good in bed. Basically everything a woman wanted a man to be.  
"Yeah." The brunette agent encouraged her friend. Most of the time she wasn't really listening to JJ's enthusiasm. Not that she wasn't interested in her best friends love life but her mind was still occupied with the stranger she met on the masked ball.  
"So what about you and your lovely Romeo?" Garcia nudged Emily from the side, a little annoyed by JJ's shyness about asking Hotch out with they had been discussing the last few days.  
The brunette shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. What am I supposed to do?"  
"Find him!" JJ exclaimed.  
"Find him how? I don't even know his name, or what looks like for that matter." Emily shoulders slumped and she bit her lip. Her eyes stared into nothingness as she remembered the few moments she shared with the mysterious man. "I might never see him again."

* * *

"Hotch?"  
"Hotch."  
"Aaron, for god's sake! What are you thinking of?!" Rossi called pulling his co-worker from the depths of his mind. Hotch just shook his head and Rossi sighed. "It's her again, isn't it?"  
"I just can't forget her!" Hotch said and ran a hand over his head.  
"You gotta get over her. It's highly unlikely that you just stumble upon her and even if you did you wouldn't know it's her because you didn't see her face." The older agent exclaimed. He felt like he was losing his friend to a woman he barely knew.  
"I know, I just… That night something changed and all I can think of is her. How her eyes look, how she smells, how she kisses." The unit chief rubbed his hand over his face in despair. "Not seeing her makes me feel like dying." He pointed to his chest. "Right there she's killing me."

* * *

"So what? Are you going to ask him?" Emily groaned. She finally understood what JJ had been feeling when she tried to talk her into calling Mick.  
"I don't know." JJ fidgeted and the brunette felt like slamming her head into a wall. Repeatedly. "Em, you gotta understand. If he says no then I'm screwed, he will know I have a crush on him and how am I supposed to work with him then? And anyway he's been so quiet lately."  
"Listen, JJ." Emily put her hand on the blondes shoulders and met her baby blue eyes. "You are probably the most gorgeous woman I've ever met and every man that rejects you is a jerk. I've never been a fan of your crush on Hotch but anything that makes you happy makes me happy as well. So _please _discover your gloriousness and stop being so shy!"  
JJ's eyes shimmered subtle and she nodded thankfully. "Thanks, Em. I'm so lucky to have you as a best friend."  
"Go get him." Emily gave JJ's shoulder a squeeze as reassurance before walking into the bullpen. "I'm waiting in your office." She whispered before stopping at Hotchs office and knocking. She didn't wait for an answer, just opened the door. "I think JJ wants to ask you something." With a wink and a mischievous glint in her eyes Emily continued to JJ's office. JJ's eyes widened and a blush crept up her cheeks and Hotch looked at her inquiring.  
"What is is JJ?"  
"Uhm, nothing, I mean, would you like to, uhm, maybe, have a drink…with me?" The blonde gave a beautiful smile to make up for her clumsy invitation.  
Hotch just stared for a few moments, actually he wanted to say no. He wasn't quite sure if he could even concentrate on the media liaison if his mind was on that unknown girl all the time. Did he betray her by going out with JJ? Sure, JJ was a beautiful and nice woman but something inside him told him to keep his hands of her. But after all Dave was right, the chances that he would see her again were slim, so why not? Another glance and subtle nod from Rossi let him accept JJ's offer.  
"Sure. I'll take you home tonight and we stop at Barney's?"  
"Tomorrow would be better. I gotta get home earlier today." JJ bit her lip and then smiled before she hurried into her office.  
"Oh, alright. Tomorrow it is."  
As soon as she walked through the door Emily arched an eyebrow and JJ's face broke into a grin before she squealed. "He said yes!"  
Emily gave her friend a I-told-you-so look before pulling her into a hug. "I knew he would." Emily grinned.  
"Alright, I gotta get going or I'm gonna be late for my appointment."  
Emily gave a nod but before she walked out of the office she turned one last time.  
"JJ, keep that smile. It suits you."

* * *

"You see, a date with JJ is the best thing that could have happened to you!" Dave said happily. The oldest profiler of the team knew that JJ had this special effect that could knock every man off his feet.  
"Yeah." Hotch nodded absentminded. His thoughts were still with the brunette woman and his "_date_" with JJ worried him. He liked the blonde way too much too hurt her by thinking about another woman while having a date with her. It pained him to know that as long his mind was on that mystery woman a relationship with JJ wouldn't stand a chance.

* * *

_Chapter 1.3_

Words. Words have an indescribable power. They can force the world to stop spinning and they can force it to spin faster. Whatever words we say should be chosen with care, because people will hear them and they will be influenced for the good or the bad. One kind word can make someone's day, they are easy to say but their echo is truly endless.  
Words changed lives for decades and as long as humanity communicates they will keep doing that.  
So wouldn't you consider words as the strongest weapon?  
When Emily walked into the Hotch's office that day she never expected that, one tiny little word would turn her world upside down. That would bring hope, bring pain, bring love.  
"I'll have the files you wanted."  
"Thank you. Just leave them at my desk." Hotch answer and turned away from the window. He raised his eyebrow at the dreamy smile of the woman that normally wore a stoic face. They were very much alike, for that matter.

_Silence is a gift. Learn to value its essence._

She couldn't help but let a small dreamy smile spread over her face.  
**  
That depends on your definition of beautiful.  
**  
She bit her lip, trying to ignore the butterfly's in her stomach.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.

Emily didn't see where she was going until it was too late. All she saw was the ground coming closer and her body tensed, bracing itself for the possible pain. But it didn't come to that. His strong arms wrapped around her waist keeping her upright.  
Their eyes met.  
Warm brown and deep chocolate.  
And then they knew. There was no how, they just knew.  
It wasn't the perfect moment and it was the perfect time, but there was one thing they were sure about when it came to love. There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.  
And there was it. That _one_ word.  
"Romeo."

* * *

**So, did you like it? I'm not quite sure if I'll continue this, it depends on the response I'll get :)  
xoxo **


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all, thanks for the support :) Still I'm not quite sure if there will be more chapters, this is just a second test-run.  
Hope you enjoy! **

* * *

With a pace that was antagonizing slow their lips touched. And for that moment everything vanished. He knew that this moment was the moment his forever began. Her smile would be the one thing that brought him to his knees, she would the one who stood by him through it all.  
One moment in time was all he needed to know that she was his, and more importantly, he was hers.  
"I can't believe I found you." She whispered. Just as if she was back there.  
Their foreheads were touching and there was barely any space left between them.  
"I would have waited. Forever, if needed." He wasn't quite registering that he had just kissed Emily, right now he just saw the woman he had fallen in love with, Juliet.  
"Aaron Hotchner, the man with the mask. I can't wait to tell JJ."  
JJ.  
Emilys eyes widened and she pulled back.  
"Emily?"  
"JJ." The brunette gasped and fully freed herself from Hotch's arms.  
"What about her?" Hotch asked. He didn't quite understand what was happening. He just kissed the girl he had probably been waiting for his whole lifetime and now they were talking about the media liaison?  
"She asked you out, she's head over heels in love." Emily choked out. Tears gathered in her eyes but she kept them from falling. It was embarrassing enough that she was showing that kind of weakness. She wasn't ready to process everything yet but if she knew one thing it was, that she could never hurt JJ that way.  
"I can't go out with JJ. Not with knowingwho _you _are." Aaron grasped Emily's hand, having this dreading feeling that she slipped away from him.  
The brunette took a step back. She already had put her hand on the door knob before she turned around and sent Hotch a meaningful glance.  
"I'm sorry."

Rossi, who had been waiting in front of Hotchs office to turn in his files saw Emily storming out and rushing down the stair straight to the elevator. He raised an eyebrow and entered Hotch's office.  
"Wow, what did you do to her Aaron?" The older profiler asked in a playful tone. He waited for Aaron's response but nothing came so he looked at him directly. The unit chief stood in the middle of his office and stared after Emily.  
"She's it." He mumbled.  
"It?"  
"The woman from the ball. Emily is the woman from the ball, the woman I kissed."  
Dave stood there in shock. Emily? "What did you two do in here?"  
"She stumbled and I held her and when I looked into her eyes I knew it. I knew it was her and we kissed." Hotch ranted. What the hell had he done wrong to make her run like that?  
"You kissed?" Rossi closed the door behind them and closed the roller blinds. After he calmed down he took put a hand on Hotch's shoulder to calm him down. "Alright, let's sit down and you can tell me everything without ranting. You sounded like Reid spouting out facts."  
Hotch smiled sadly and made desperate efforts to put on a stoic face again. He took a seat and thankfully accepted the glass of scotch Dave handed him.  
"So let's start at the beginning."  
"Emily came in here; she wanted to bring me the files she had finished and on her way out she stumbled and I held her upright. And then I met her eyes and we both _just knew. _And we kissed, but suddenly she started talking about JJ and then she left." With a sigh he put his head in his hands.  
"Can you blame her? JJ is her best friend. Her best friend you agreed to have a date with. "  
"Honestly? I have no idea what to think. I don't even know if I can put Emily and Juliet into one person. They are so different."  
"Are they?" And with a pat on Hotch's back Rossi stood up and returned to his own office.

_Breath. Just breath.  
_Emily let her head fall against the door. The more she thought about it the trickier the situation seemed to get. Hotch had been the man she had been dreaming of. Every night._  
_She pressed her lips together before she cautiously she knocked on JJ's door.  
"Wait, just a sec!"  
Emily stepped back and breathed in deeply. JJ shouldn't to see her in this state. A few moments later the door in front of her opened and JJ stood before her. The blonde was smiling, her eyes were shining.  
"Great that you are here! On my way back I bought a few dresses, I don't know which one to wear tomorrow and now you gotta help me pick!" JJ grabbed Emily's wrist and pulled her into living room. The brunette couldn't help but smile at JJ's anticipation, though it was a sad smile. Would Hotch still want to go out with JJ after what happened between them? After _everything _that happened between them, not just the kiss in his office? She realized that she could no longer put off telling her best friend.  
"JJ, I came here to talk to you."  
"About what? Did Hotch say something?!" JJ turned to face Emily and her smile fell at her expression. "What? What is it?"  
"JJ, I don't know how-" Emily started but the media liaison interrupted her.  
"Just spit it out."  
"My Romeo, it's Hotch."

* * *

**Well, that was it. How do you think JJ will react? If you want to know just leave a little review :D  
xoxo **


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, the response for this story has been greater than I expected so I'm really happy.  
Thanks to all those who reviewed, I hope you like this chapter, with a pretty drastic decision!  
Love you guys, seriously!:D  
_IMPORTANT: I'll say it right now, because it will be important in this story. And if I say important I MEAN IMPORTANT :DDD. In this story, Emily's mother is dead and they think she killed herself (she also wasn't that kind of unloving bad mother), it's gonna play a big part in this story so I thought I just get it out now!_**

* * *

_"My Romeo, it's Hotch."_

* * *

JJ stared back at her best friend in shock.

"W-What?" She coked out.

"God, JJ, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that it was him." The brunette plopped down on the couch with her head in her hands. How was she supposed to deal with this? Could she step aside for JJ to make her move? She wanted to, yes, she wanted JJ to be happy, from the bottom of her heart, but what happened that night was something so big, so magical that she feared she couldn't do it. Even if she compartmentalized with all she had, she wouldn't get him out of her head, and her heart.

JJ sat down beside her, and sighed. "It's not your fault. How should you have known?"  
Emily looked up and watched her friend, her _best_ friend. The expression of despair in those blue eyes, she had grown to know so well was making her feel even guiltier. JJ didn't blame her now, but how would she react if she told her about the kiss? Should she tell her?  
With a deep breath she pulled herself together. "There's something else."  
It came out as a whisper but the blondes head shot up nevertheless.

"What?"

"We kissed."

* * *

Aaron Hotchner stared through the roller blinds of his office window at the desk of his brunette subordinate. His heart told him that this was the best and greatest feeling he has ever had. But his mind knew the difference between wanting what he couldn't have and wanting what he shouldn't want. And he shouldn't want her. And still he did.  
But would that change anything?

* * *

Emily watched JJ's expression change, from shock to realization and then finally to anger. Her eyes were blazing with fury as she stared at the brunette who was supposed to be her best friend.

"You. What?"

"JJ. It –"

"You knew what I felt for him and you still kissed him?!" The blonde  
jumped up from the couch, staring accusingly at Emily. "What kind of friend does that?!"

Tears were shining in those chocolate brown eyes as Emily listened to JJ.

"Listen, it wasn't even a real kiss. It was just a moment, I swear!"

"I wish I'd never met you." JJ spat with venom.

Emily's pleads were interrupted by the sound of a palm struck across a cheek.

* * *

A knock on Aaron Hotchner's door pulled him out of his thoughts and he murmured a quiet 'Come in.'  
It was Derek. After a short greeting the dark-skinned agent came straight to the point.

"Have you seen Emily? I was gonna show her this but it's like she vanished into thin air."

Emily. An image of the brunette woman formed in his head. The way her hair fell softly down her back, her brilliant smile, and of course her eyes. Those beautiful big, brown orbs, in which he could get lost forever.

"Hey Hotch! You're listening to me?"

The Unit-chief hid his startle response and shrugged. "I've no idea, where she could have gone." Hotch was surprised of himself. He as a profiler wouldn't have been able to detect that little lie, so he continued. "Maybe she went to the bathroom?"

"For two hours?"

Two hours. Has it really been that long? He shook his head to get a clear head. "Morgan. I haven't seen her, and honestly, I have a lot of work to do."

Morgan nodded. "Okay, sorry to interrupt you."

The slightly younger man closed the door and left Hotch alone to think about…everything.

* * *

Emily's eyes widened in shock and her hand went immediately up to her burning cheek. Had JJ just hit her? JJ's lips quivered at the realization that she had just hit her best friend.

"Oh god." She whispered. What the hell had just happened? Regret filled her heart, then slowly she came back to senses. "Okay…okay, let's sit down."

She pulled Emily down beside her. "I'm so sorry, Em. I don't what has gotten into me."

"It's fine." The brunette mumbled, still slightly shocked.

"No, it's not! I slapped you, for god's sake!" JJ's breath fastened and her eyes became unfocused.

Emily watched her friend with worry. "Calm down. It's fine. Everything's good."

She couldn't stand it, the look of JJ's eyes, there was a deep sadness lying in there. As her best friend, it was her job to make it go away, right? But how far could she go?  
The blonde grabbed her hand and held it tight, a silent apology, complicated yet simple between the two of them. Emily gave a soft squeeze back but stared out of the window, deep in thought. An option came to her mind, so hurtful and still it seemed right.  
She'd known JJ for years and Aaron, he was a man she'd only met a few weeks ago. But there has never been a spark between them before, so how could it possibly be so great? The feeling would go away, eventually, she could forget him, even if it seemed impossible now.

Still the decision she made felt like it was ripping her apart. She clenched her fist and clawed her fingernails deeply into her flesh, willing the pain to manifest itself there and away from her heart. For a few seconds she  
couldn't hold her tears back and they flooded her eyes. She pressed her lips together, drew a breath through her nose and when she was sure there was no sign of her emotional slip-up, she turned to JJ.  
With a quiet voice Emily spoke up.

"Listen, about Hotch-"

"No. We both can't do anything about our feelings." JJ paused for a moment, looking at the woman beside her. "I just don't want our friendship to break just because of some guy."

"It won't." Emily said it with such certainty in voice that the blonde met her eye once again. Emily continued. "'Cause for one of us, it probably didn't mean that much at all."

"What are you saying?"

"You know, when I found out that Hotch is 'Romeo', this whole kind of spark thing…just wasn't there." She lied through her teeth and she knew it, but she was absolutely sure that this was the right thing to do. So she shut her heart out as best as she could and focused on what her mind was telling her. "I just don't feel it anymore."

There was a suspicious look on JJ's face when she asked, "Emily, I've heard you rave about him. You were just as much in love with him as I am."

"I know." Emily shrugged. "I guess it was the memory. I got on the wrong track."

"You wanna tell me, that you just imagined everything? Your feelings?"

"No, of course not. When I met him, it was like a movie, with moon-light  
and roses and masks. You tend to romanticization."

"So you-"

"Don't get me wrong, I like him, but that's it. I don't feel anything beyond friendship. What happened,… that was a fling."

* * *

**So, what do you think that means for Emily and Hotch? Since they _obviously_ belong together?  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go again, I know it took me pretty long to update this but school has been crazy and it seems like every teacher wants to torture us :D But yesterday I sat and wrote most of this chapter and I finished it today :D So I hope you enjoy.  
I just remembered that I hadn't wrote a disclaimer so here it goes: I don't own criminal minds (goes for the whole story)  
NOW ENJOY! **

* * *

Aaron Hotchners eyes opened.  
It was a dull morning, and it brought him a cold awakening. Once again a frosty spell descended upon his dismal heart.  
Yesterday he had been drinking, Jack was with Haley so he had nothing to worry about. Still it had been nothing than a sweet self-deception, it didn't offer him comfort. No buzz would bring peace to his mind, numb his thoughts of her.  
He pulled himself out of the bed and walked into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. The bags under his eyes were evidence of his dreams. There was nothing he could do, he was held captive by his own memory. No matter what her reaction had been; his hope did not let him give up on her.

* * *

Emily stood in the break room, pouring coffee into her mug. For what seemed the hundredth time this morning her thoughts drifted off.  
_How long had she been looking for him? So long she had hoped for any sign of him? She had cursed fate, for not leading her back to him. In her dreams she came back to him, every night. She was stuck in a world of hope and pain. And now? What had happened?  
_It was not long before the door opened. Nobody else but Aaron Hotchner stepped into the room.  
To say it was awkward would be an understatement. Still there was this spark, an electric feeling connecting them in some way. A ring of fire closing in on them.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Silence spread in the room once again. She longed to feel his arms around her, for feel him holding her.  
_Stop it, Emily. Think about JJ.  
_  
"Uhm, you want some coffee?" The brunette asked meekly, running her own finger over the rim of her cup. She tried to distract herself from the feeling that tingled in her stomach and tugged at her heart; he stood so close to her, his scent waved over and she couldn't help but feel drawn to him.

"Sure. Black, no sugar."

"I know."

Emily filled another mug with the hot liquid, without looking at him. She knew she would only be captured by them and it would do her no good watching something she couldn't have.  
She slid the mug over carefully and their hands touched briefly as he reached for it. Scratch that.  
They were supposed to touch briefly. Almost instinctively his hand tightened around her fingertips.  
Their eyes met once more and this time they lost the track of time.

That she didn't pull away showed him that her actions had been out of nothing but panic. He saw in her eyes, which were now glued to their touching hands. She was immersed in tracing the patterns of his hands and he was immersed in watching her, her beautiful face, her beautiful eyes, her beautiful everything. An endless beauty that filled the deepest parts of her heart.

His hand reached up to caress her cheek, careful as if he was scared to break her, or this moment, in which space and time had no meaning, no importance to them.  
She closed her eyes and as she nuzzled her face into his palm, she noticed that it fitted right in, as if it was made for it, as if it had been waiting for her all this time.

"You and me, that's something special."

The moment broke like glass and the pain from the cuts took them back to reality.  
Emily took his hand and pulled it down, shaking her head. It was now or never. Telling him, no lying to him wouldn't be easy but it needed to be done. For JJ. For her best friend.

"Maybe for you it's special. Not for me. We had a nice evening, but that's it." She waited a second before she said once more the one thing that ripped her heart apart. "A fling."

"You know that's not true." His voice was so convinced she knew it would be pointless.

"What do wanna hear?" She asked through gritted teeth. She felt her own resolve breaking at his insistence.

"The truth."

"It is the truth, for god's sake!" Tears sprung to her eyes and she turned around, furiously wiping her eyes.  
Damn it, how could she lose control like that? She had never let anyone see her weak and she was sure as hell that she wouldn't start now. She breathed in deeply and put a professional mask on.  
"We had a few nice moments and we should leave it at that, before…before we get hurt, or hurt someone else." Her voice was monotone and deep inside she felt a little pride, other than that she just felt empty. "Now do me a favor and stay out of my life."

* * *

Emily sat on her desk in the bullpen, pondering over what happened in the break room. Had she really told the man she loved to stay out of her life? It had been clear that he didn't believe her, when she said it was a fling, and if the roles had been revised she wouldn't have believed him as well. She had felt it, too, that night. When they were looking up and a falling star made its way over the sky, with an unknown destination, it reminded her of them. A bright passionate sensation, whose most burning wish it was to find an ending in love.  
But now that she looked at it, it seemed like their falling star had already crashed, and in the process shattered into thousand pieces.  
She tried hard to convince herself, that they would only hurt themselves, trying to pick up those pieces and put them together again.

_When the lights turned down, they don't know what they heard  
Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world  
We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky  
Cause we got the fire, fire, fire, yeah we got the fire fire fire_

"Hey Prentiss. That's your phone right?" Morgan threw a paper ball at the brunette, aiming at her head. As soon as her head made contact Emily's head snapped up and she immediately went to pick up her phone.  
"Prentiss." She answered and heard Morgan snickering. She slapped him on the back of his head, as she left the crowded bullpen to take her call in private.  
As soon as the glass doors closed behind her and it was quiet again she spoke.  
"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"  
"I'm from the St. Elizabeth hospital. You are Emily Prentiss, right?" A shudder ran down her spine as the woman mentioned a hospital.  
"Yes, that's me. Has something happened?"  
"I'm sorry, I have to tell you that your father had a heavy heart attack. He died shortly after he was admitted."

"Ma'am? Are you still there?" The woman called into the phone.  
Emily calmed her breathing and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, uhm Yes, I'm still here. How do you know it's him?"  
"He had his driving license on him. Still we need a family member to identify the body." ''  
Still perplex Emily changed into professional mode. " I'll be there in 10'. Have you told his mother yet?"  
"Mary Rose Prentiss? No, we haven't been able to get a hold of her."  
"Okay, I'll call her later. I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can."  
"Ma'am, you don't have to come today, we can-"  
The voice of the elder woman was cut off as Emily ended the call.

* * *

Stiffly she walked through the glass doors and suddenly the noise and agility in the bullpen seemed out of place. How could everything just go on after someone who was so important to her was gone?  
Morgan must have spotted her because he gave her one of his special 'Derek- Morgan grins' and called over to her: "Ellie Goulding, huh?"  
She ignored the comment and went up to Hotch's office and the familiar tingling in the pit of her stomach emerged, which she felt since the night she had spent with her 'mysterious man', though it was not as strong, since it was clouded by a new extent of guilt. She had never felt this way before.

She heard the 'come in' and snapped out of her thoughts. She hadn't even realized that she had knocked.  
Emily opened the door, walked in and closed it behind her again.

Hotch looked up and met her eyes. He immediately recognized the deep sadness clouding her eyes. A worry tingled in the pit of his stomach. "What's wrong?"

A small wave of shock rode through her. Was he really able to look through her like this? Read her mind even though she was trying so hard to guard and protect it from a strangers view? Many people may not have noticed but deep inside of her hid a shy, cautious woman, who rather ran from the accusing glares and the high expectations.  
But she pulled herself together and showed her brave side.  
"I need to go to the hospital."

Emotionless voice. It took him only seconds to realize that right now there was no breaking through her walls. "Hospital?"

"My father had a heart attack. He-He didn't make it. They want me to identify the body."

Silence. First tense then it grew somewhat comfortable. Not comfortable in a sense of 'Nothing matters' but in a way that showed them how deeply they trusted each other, not only with their lives but with their feelings, I as the narrator will simply call it universal trust.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Take as much time as you need."

Emily knew he wasn't gonna push her or play the knight in shining armor, and she was grateful for it.  
But even though she knew how to take care of herself, there was a tiny little part of her that wished, she could just fall into his arms and take comfort from his embrace.  
But she couldn't.  
So she straightened herself, nodded and stepped out of the office.

* * *

After the identification was done she decided she would take a little walk in the park close to the BAU.  
She could blame the cold of the winter for her red nose, she had got as she allowed a few tears to fall after she made sure she was alone. They hadn't helped her feel better though, she wasn't sad, rather angry at the whole world and god. How dare he to just take her father away? Her fists clenched and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood to keep in the angry tears that once again had filled her eyes.

She was surprised to hear a quiet 'Hey' behind her. A voice she'd recognize everywhere.  
Aaron.  
She turned around and saw him standing there, a few snowflakes, she hadn't even realized were falling, in his black hair.

"Aren't you cold?" He asked it with such care that it shocked her. Why wasn't he mad at her, after everything she had said this morning? Is that what love did to this man? That her own mind used the word love didn't surprise her, yes she believed that he loved her, she felt it, too, so she settled for a soft response.

"I'm fine. How'd you find me?"

"You see this spot of the park from the BAU. You've been standing her for 30 minutes."

"30 minutes." She mumbled under her breath and suddenly noticed the shiver running through her body every 10 seconds. "I had a lot on my mind. But now that I think about it I should really get back to work. I still have a lot of files left. And I gotta call my grandma, tell her what happened, then there's still-"

"Hey."

She stopped her rambling and looked at him. Suddenly she felt everything in her collapse, as if a gush of cold water had been poured over her head. Tears filled her eyes and trickled slowly down her cheeks and this time she didn't try to stop them. It didn't matter anyway. He knew how she felt.

Seeing her this way, Hotch felt his own heart break a little. He would do anything to stop her pain so he stepped a little closer, opened his arms for an embrace and then stopped shortly in front of her.

Emily knew he let her make this decision and she was grateful for it. Quietly she took the last step, put her head on his chest and cried.

* * *

To say Jennifer Jareau was furious was an understatement. Her fist clenched and she snorted.  
"My _best _friend, huh?" In her mind she finished her sentence.  
_My best friend cuddling with the man that is supposed to be a fling.  
_Fuming she stepped back from her office window. She had seen enough.

* * *

After a while Hotch had pulled her over to a little bench, right where they were sitting now in comfortable silence. Emily wiped her eyes once more then touched the wet mark she had left on Aarons jacket.  
"I'm sorry for that."

He just shrugged then smiled genuinely. "Tell me about him."

Emily knew the topic had changed and smiled at the memory that immediately overcame her as soon as she thought of her father. She had never been sharing these private stories but she was sitting in front of her soulmate and she knew it, even though she could never admit it.  
She smiled sheepishly before she started talking.  
"Once my dad took me to the circus. I was thrilled and of course I wanted to work at the circus from that day on. So I packed my stuff, my blankie and a chocolate bar –" She laughed quietly and gazed dreamily. "and sneaked out."

"You ran away from home?" Hotch chuckled.

"Yeah. I even made it to the circus. Of course they called the police immediately, and to be honest, without the make-up the clown was rather creepy. I just wanted to go home, but I was scared what my dad would say."

"I'm sure he was worried sick." He squeezed her hand softly and she nodded.

"I remember it as if it was yesterday. When I walked through the door, he was…nothing but relieved. He wasn't mad, he didn't shout like I expected him to. He just hugged me close and thanked god that I was okay." Emily chuckled once again and smiled softly. "Now I'm wasting your time with my sentimental stories."

"I could listen to you for hours." _  
_  
She looked into his eyes but immediately felt guilty. Hadn't she promised herself to keep her distance? And now she sat her, telling her supervisor stories about her father. She stood up and waved over to the FBI building.  
"I probably should get going before they start worrying."  
And with that she walked away from him once again.

* * *

Emily walked into the bullpen for the second time this day. It was already late so Morgan and Reid had already left but in JJ's office she saw still light. She decided that she was gonna tell JJ about her father, she had known him, too and she didn't want to keep it from her. Without knocking she walked in.  
"Hey."

She was surprised by the angry glare the blonde sent her way. "What are you doing here?"

"Is something wrong?" Emily stepped closer to JJ's desk.

JJ jumped from her seat and her face was full of anger. "You're damn right, that something's wrong. I saw you and your _fling _over in the park today. You almost _kissed_!"

The brunette's mouth fell open. "I have no idea what you talking about. I actually –"

"Come on! You call me your best friend and then you lie to me?! I know what you're doing. You don't want me to have my 'happy end' with him. You don't want me to be happy! You deceiving me and you're doing it on purpose!"

"God JJ!" Emily stopped the blondes angry insults. She herself had completely forgotten why she even came here. Right now she was just angry and hurt. "Alright. If you really think that I would do that… then we can end our friendship right here and right now. Is that what you want?"

* * *

**Oops, another cliffhanger, sorry ^^  
So Hotch and Emily are getting closer and JJ is mad.  
What do you think will or should happen, leave your ideas! **


End file.
